13 November 2012

Willow Reads: Bitter Blood (Morganville Vampires #13)


For years, the human and vampire residents of Morganville, Texas, have managed to co-exist in peace. But now that the threat to the vampires has been defeated, the human residents are learning that the gravest danger they face is the enemy within…

Thanks to the eradication of the parasitic creatures known as the draug, the vampires of Morganville have been freed of their usual constraints. With the vampires indulging their every whim, the town’s human population is determined to hold on to their lives by taking up arms. But college student Claire Danvers isn’t about to take sides, considering she has ties to both the humans and the vampires. 

To make matters worse, a television show comes to Morganville looking for ghosts, just as vampire and human politics collide. Now, Claire and her friends have to figure out how to keep the peace without ending up on the nightly news… or worse.

Spoiler Warning- More Than Usual

Title: Bitter Blood (Morganville Vampires #13)
Author: Rachel Caine
Page Count: 404 pages
Book website: www.morganvilletexas.com
Published: November 6, 2012
Source: Long-term love for this series

I have an absolute love for Morganville. I was gifted the first two books of the series for Christmas my senior year of high school, by someone who really didn't know me but got stuck with me in a Secret Santa. He knew I read a lot, and he had watched me read Twilight... Vampires are in Twilight, so maybe I'd like this series? You know, that kind of thing. I couldn't have been more grateful, because I had wanted to read these books for ages. And now, it's book 13. It's hard to believe that it's only coming up on two years since I turned the first page and became instantly hooked.

So, straight out, I loved this book; my rating on Goodreads is 5 stars, and that wasn't even with hesitation. I may be slightly biased, since I love this series so much. Rachel Caine has caught my heart, much like J.K. Rowling did with Harry Potter. She knows how to hit it right in the feels, though.

One thing you may not like about this book is the changing perspectives- it has happened before in Morganville, and it continues on here. If that kind of thing isn't for you, I wouldn't suggest Morganville... You'll be missing out! But anyway, enough of the chit-chat and into the review.

We start out with Amelie in a prologue, which is about Morganville ID cards- Oliver is pushing the issue, and he convinces her that every resident should have one. You can definitely tell by her tone, though, that Amelie has changed. Why, all of a sudden, does she trust Oliver like a lover instead of the enemy she must keep her eye on? I questioned this right away, but we'll figure out why later.

So then, we're taken through the book. Morganville residents do get their ID cards (and find there's a hunting pass for the vampires- pretty much a license to kill one human a year and have a small fine for any other human they kill), Claire and crew attempt to stop it from happening... Myrnin leaves Morganville, or so we're lead to believe... Hannah is pushed from the mayor's office, and there's an "election" to have the next mayor put into office- but really, Morganville doesn't understand voting. A character we had never heard of in my memory (but I want to re-read the whole series), Florida Ramos, is given the spot by Amelie. This isn't a bad choice, she's a strong leader and she knows exactly how the humans feel- seeing as she is one, and she's tired of the vampires having open season with the humans. She herself lost two children to the vampires, and it hurts her.

Then, things change. Pretty much throughout the whole book, people are pinning threatening pictures and things to the Glass House door, there's even an incident of gas in a bottle thrown through the window- causing a fire. It's all to do with Michael marrying Eve, and then it goes to an extreme. Eve gets beat up, causing some internal bleeding, broken ribs, and lots of pain. While Eve's in the hospital healing, Michael is bitten by Naomi. This makes him have to do everything Naomi says, including when she tells him to tell Eve that their marriage is over... Then he promptly is forced to kiss Claire, causing some problems between Shane and Eve. They're all in their separate worlds now it seems, and everyone's sad. Shane won't even look at Claire, Michael packed up and left the night he ended the marriage, and Claire has to help Eve- after that, she tells her parents she'll be there soon.

But it all wraps up. At the end of the book, Claire saves Amelie's life and in return gets permission for Shane to leave Morganville in addition to getting herself into MIT again. She still loves him, even if he is an idiot. Michael and Eve make up, and Claire goes up to her bedroom to be alone. The realization hits.

"Tomorrow, she'd have to think about how to leave Morganville behind, how to go off to a new town, a new school, a whole new world... and somehow do it without Michael, or Eve, or even Myrnin. 
 And maybe even without Shane. 
But she just couldn't face it now."
And then, later on... And this is the ending of the book, beware.
"Shane's arms went around her. It was slow, and tentative, and done in complete silence. He pulled her closer, and closer, until she was pressed against him, back to front. His lips pressed a slow, soft, burning kiss on the soft, tender skin at the back of her neck.
 'I know you didn't ask me,' he said. 'I know you may not want me to go. But I'm going to Boston, and I'll be there when you need me. You don't have to say anything. I know I have to earn your trust back. It's okay.'
 She caught her breath, sighed, and felt her heart break all over again, in a whole new and beautiful way."
 There's still books 14 and 15 on the way, thank goodness. When I finished the book at 2AM this morning, I didn't want it to end there. I wanted more. xD That's not a good stopping place, Rachel Caine! NOT COOL. xD

But one thing I'm waiting on is the marriage- back a few books ago, Shane said something around the lines of "If we make it through this, promise you'll marry me." Claire said yes, but WHEN IS IT GONNA HAPPEN? I am totally wanting Claire and Shane to get married, and have Claire be Claire Collins and have adorable ClaireShane babies and... yeah.. /shifty Can you tell I'm huge on Claire/Shane? xD

Anywho, for some cool extras head on over to morganvilletexas.com and/or http://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialRachelCaine <-- At the youtube there's some ads for the mayor- just fun little videos. Amelie looks like the Overly Attached Girlfriend. Go have fun!


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am hoping Myrnin and Claire get together.

Jamie said...

I'm actually a huge Shane/Claire shipper. As you can probably tell from my post. I'm not one to go far off the canon trail- if the author sees Claire and Shane as the working couple, then she'll go with it and I'll gladly follow. Sure, it'd be kinda cute with Myrnin.. But I like Shane.

Anonymous said...

I love Shane and Claire as well as Michael and Eve. Naomi that irritating, manipulative little wh**e should go die in a hole

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